How the Left Makes Radicalism Mainstream

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ruthless Podcast

Episode: How the Left Makes Radicalism Mainstream

Date: September 12, 2025
Hosts: Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Guest: Jason Chaffetz (former U.S. Representative)
(Josh Holmes absent for this episode)

---

Brief Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast presents an urgent, emotional, and pointedly critical analysis of political radicalization on the American left, catalyzed by the recent assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The hosts grapple with the media response, elected officials’ rhetoric, and public reactions, arguing that dehumanizing language and a “doomsday cult” mentality have now mainstreamed support for political violence. The show aims both to honor Kirk’s legacy and highlight what the hosts frame as institutional and cultural failures that encourage violence against conservatives.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Reflection on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination (01:10–08:20)

• The hosts express deep grief and personal anger over the murder of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist.
• Discussion centers on the emotional impact for Kirk’s family and his broader legacy within the conservative movement.
• Listener comments reveal a widespread sense of mourning and outrage:
  • “May Charlie Kirk rest in peace. The Lord’s vengeance over this will be great. Charlie was also a modern day prophet.” (Ashbrook, 05:32)
  • “It just breaks my heart over and over and over again.” (Smug, 02:32)
• The significance of Kirk’s role as a leader and the inspiration he offered to otherwise isolated young conservatives is emphasized.

2. FBI Investigation Coverage (03:21–04:47)

• Michael Duncan updates listeners on the ongoing investigation, describing the FBI’s release of suspect images and a $100,000 reward.
• The seriousness and urgency of the search for the perpetrator are stressed: “They are in hot pursuit of somebody.” (Ashbrook, 04:09)

3. Mainstreaming Political Hatred and Violence (09:23–14:03)

• In-depth critique of left-wing rhetoric, especially by elected officials and mainstream media figures.
• Analysis of Democrat Senator Murphy’s remarks as emblematic of a toxic “by any means necessary” mentality:
  • “That is an ideology of violence. Like that’s what that is.” (Duncan, 10:13)
• The “champagne bottle” meme on social media – celebrating or anticipating the assassination of conservative figures – is discussed as evidence of normalized, left-wing hostility: “I had saved this bottle for when that thing happens. But Charlie Kirk’s good enough. I guess it’s that mainstreamed.” (Smug, 13:33)

4. Media and Democratic Party Responses—Dehumanization and Deflection (15:16–32:43)

• Multiple news clips and Democratic statements are played and dissected for their perceived defensiveness, victim-blaming, and failure to condemn violence unequivocally.
• Noteworthy segments include:
  • House Democrats refusing a moment of prayer for Charlie Kirk—met with outrage by the hosts (16:13–16:41).
  • Wired magazine headline, MSNBC, and New Republic coverage, all criticized for “dehumanizing” Kirk and conservatives by using terms like “MAGA troll” and drawing Nazi comparisons (24:49–26:24).
  • “They are willing to dehumanize conservatives. They’re willing to say that these are Nazis because that is critical to getting their extremist violence. They can mainstream it.” (Smug, 26:24)
  • Media pivoting rapidly to discuss gun control and assigning blame to rhetoric, rather than condemning the act itself (18:43–19:01).

5. Social Media Radicalization as a Mainstream Phenomenon (37:05–39:37)

• The hosts contend that hateful, violent attitudes are no longer limited to extremists but have overtaken mainstream culture—including professionals and academic leaders.
• Celebrations of Kirk’s death and calls for targeting more conservatives are highlighted as evidence.
  • “This is not a fringe idea on the left. That’s the mainstream beating heart of the left.” (Smug, 38:22)

6. Institutional Response and Policy Recommendations (40:26–42:36)

• Advocacy for a dedicated FBI task force to combat left-wing political violence.
  • “We need an FBI task force on left wing violence… this is not political speech. This is incitement to murder.” (Duncan, 40:26)
• Spillover into a broader discussion on law enforcement, urban safety, and the need to “reopen the asylums” for the criminally insane after a deadly incident in North Carolina is referenced (41:27–42:36).

7. Exclusive Interview: Jason Chaffetz’s Eyewitness Account (43:49–53:43)

• Chaffetz describes the traumatic experience of witnessing the assassination and his personal relationship with Kirk.
  • “I wish I could unsee it. And that ringing, that shot…it’s still, like, unbelievable to me.” (Chaffetz, 44:13)
• He reflects on Kirk’s unique ability to mobilize and inspire young conservatives: “He galvanized the youth in this country in a way conservatives never had been able to before. …For the first time, probably in the history of our country, a conservative youth movement.” (Smug, 47:34)
• Chaffetz calls for action and accountability: “We need to literally call it out for what it is...these things tend to go one direction. We’re gonna have to call it out and not be bashful and hold people accountable.” (Chaffetz, 50:02)

8. Call to Action, Unity, and Legacy of Free Speech (56:39 to End)

• The discussion pivots to what conservatives should do next:
  • Reiterate the need for courage in the face of threats: “We cannot be afraid to say what it is that we think. We cannot be afraid to stop showing people that it’s normal to be a conservative.” (Ashbrook, 57:33)
  • The importance of rejecting violence, embracing open discourse, and carrying forward Kirk’s message and example.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “[The] ideology of violence…by any means necessary.” — Michael Duncan, 10:13
• “You said, this guy’s Hitler.” — Comfortably Smug, describing leftist replies to calls for civility after violence, 10:54
• “We are talking about mainstream Democrats…the hatred is not limited to the lunatic fringe on the left. It has migrated into the mainstream media they control.” — Ashbrook, 02:13
• “They want a monopoly on violence… they want the left to have the monopoly on violence.” — Comfortably Smug, 19:01
• “If you gave the majority of these people true serum, they’d admit that they might not say it publicly, but that’s why they’re providing the cover for that sort of thing is because they actually agree with it.” — Michael Duncan, 17:25
• “The way that the left has systematically dehumanized conservatives in this country…” — Comfortably Smug, 25:40
• “When you can say your opponent is a Nazi or a troll or a fascist, you can create that permission structure…” — Comfortably Smug, 25:40
• “They have so blurred those lines, making words violence. Making words violence is how they create a permission structure to silence their opponents by any means necessary.” — Comfortably Smug, 22:26
• “It should be unacceptable in the United States…that working people have to put up with that when they’re just trying to feed their families.” — Michael Duncan, 42:20
• “Charlie never assumed that everybody was going to come to the same conclusion or think just like him. But he challenged people to learn how to think, something that’s not found in the classrooms.” — Jason Chaffetz, 48:26
• “First you have to win the argument, then you go win the vote.” — Jason Chaffetz, quoting Margaret Thatcher, 53:44

---

Important Timestamps

• Charlie Kirk’s Legacy/Listener Reactions: 05:10–08:20
• FBI Press Conference and Search Update: 03:21–04:47
• Sen. Murphy Clip and Violent Rhetoric Analysis: 09:23–10:54
• “Champagne Bottle” Meme Discussion: 13:09–14:03
• House Democrats Refuse Moment of Prayer: 16:13–16:41
• Dehumanization in Media (New Republic, Conway): 24:49–26:24
• Katie Tur (NBC) Clip Reaction: 27:05–28:24
• Activist Celebration & Social Media Radicalization: 37:05–39:37
• Jason Chaffetz Personal Account/Interview: 43:49–53:43
• Call to Conservative Action: 56:39–58:17

---

Overall Tone

The episode is emotionally charged, blending grief and indignation with combative, sometimes darkly humorous commentary. The hosts maintain a tone of camaraderie and urgency, repeatedly returning to their core themes: the mainstreaming of radical, dehumanizing attitudes by political and media elites, the need to respond robustly to violence and intimidation, and the importance of holding to conservative values even as the political climate grows colder and more threatening.

Transcript

[Comfortably Smug]

It comes from the elected officials. We showed the elected officials saying that, you know, anything's on the table. Our opponents are fascists. It comes from the media who's created this kind of like doomsday cult environment. Like when you go to the Washington Post, it says, democracy dies in darkness. They want the left to think, okay, this is like the end times. Anything's on the table. And the people who are against you are fascists and Nazis. So it's okay to cheer them, it's okay to dehumanize them. It's okay to do that. These, this is, this is not some fringe element anymore.

[Ashbrook]

I think what we're going to find out is that the organized left is a lot more of a problem for our country than anybody in the mainstream press will ever admit.

[Comfortably Smug]

What is wrong with these people? That she's like, what would happen if someone were to take up the cause of Charlie Kirk? Boy, can you imagine the horror if someone else decided to visit campuses and try to have an open dialogue? My God, the horror of that.

[Ashbrook]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Keep the faith, hold the line and own the lids.

[Ashbrook]

It's time for our main event.

[Michael Duncan]

Welcome back to the Ruthless Variety Program. I'm Michael Duncan, along with Comfortably Smug and John Ashbrook. And we don't have Holmes with us today, but we soldier on. Our commentary will continue on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Guys, the last episode we did, I think it was the right decision. We focused it on Charlie himself. We didn't play any clips. I thought it was the right decision that honored his legacy and his life. And then I got home and I watched more and more stuff on social media, which was probably a mistake, and seeing his young, beautiful young family and thinking about him not being around to see his girls grow up. And I just got angrier and angrier and angrier. And I think it's appropriate for us to do a whole nother show on this thing where we hold some of these left wing lunatics accountable. And I don't really want to do that, but I feel like we're obligated to.

[Ashbrook]

No, I think it's necessary. I think it's absolutely necessary. And what we have found is that the hatred is not limited to the lunatic fringe on the left. It has migrated into the mainstream media they control.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think that is a critical realization that we came to. I'm right there with you, Duncan. As I went home and it just. I just got sadder and sadder and sadder. You know, the more I thought about his family, he's got these two babies, he's got a wife. It just, it just breaks my heart over and over and over again. And seeing the reaction of the left writ large. And then by the left, I mean essentially anyone who's like left of center has been radicalized. We're talking the mainstream media reactions from like MSNBC and elected officials. It was, you know, a wake up call and I think something that necessitates serious discussion. And I'm very happy that that's what we're going to do today.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, no, I think it's the right thing to do. And I want to get to the facts as we know them. Now. Currently we're recording this late Thursday afternoon. Things may change and we just don't know everything and all the details right now. But what we do know is that the FBI has released two photos of a new person of interest in the assassination of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk. The images show a thin male wearing jeans. Can we. You got that up? Yeah. If you know who this person is, Please contact the FBI. They are offering $100,000 bounty for information that helps crack this case. Still at this moment at large is this suspect, which is just, you know, it's terrifying.

[Ashbrook]

I'm glad they put this up. And I know everybody who watched that initial press conference from the FBI that was done at like 7:30 in the morning on Thursday in Utah. They said they weren't releasing the images because they felt like they were close. And then later in the day on Thursday, they released the images. So what that tells me is that they are in hot pursuit of somebody. And they know that the more information that they release to the public, the more the public will be. Will have the ability to actually find this person and bring them to justice, which is what is so, so important.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Before we get to all of this, like, disgusting garbage we have to go through from these Democrats and the media and the Democrat activists and stuff. Like, I kind of need a little bit of like a palate cleanser. Ash, Brooke, if you could pull up some of those comments from yesterday's episode. And also, I just want to say to everybody who reached out, thank you very much.

[Ashbrook]

Yeah, I mean, we really had. We have the best audience. We absolutely have the best audience. And there's a huge crossover between the people who listen to our show and the people who believed in what Charlie Kirk was doing. I think it's almost 100%.

[Comfortably Smug]

The movement he led was enormous.

[Ashbrook]

It was huge. And you cannot live in today's society and hear the things that he was saying and the way that he was saying them and not be moved by it. And I just, it's a true testament to this guy's life the way people are pouring out in support because he was giving voice to people who had none. For years and years and years he was giving voice to people. And I just think that we have so many, so many people who have reached out. You know, one said, may Charlie Kirk rest in peace. The Lord's vengeance over this will be great. Charlie. Charlie was more than a political voice. He was also a modern day prophet. There is so much stuff that happens. And also remember this coincided with September 11th, 24th anniversary of one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history. And we also have another horrible, horrible terrorist attack in, in our history that happened today. You know, there's another guy, conservatives are always expected to be the one to turn the other cheek and take it. And historically we do. We've been doing this same act for the past few years and they keep pulling the exact same thing over and over and over. And they finally got another one today. It's not godly to let yourself get kicked again and again. There is no moral victory if you aren't alive. When exactly is enough going, going to be enough? And I think that shows the raw emotion. You know, people are, that's so many people's minds, they're angry. People are angry. They're like, how does this happen to such a good man like Charlie Kirk? And what are we going to do about it? I know that we're going to get to that later in the show, but you know, person after person, hundreds of comments of people who are just heartbroken over this.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. You know, I think the price of liberty is there's that saying the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. You know, like we have to protect ourselves. I mean that, that is 100% true.

[Ashbrook]

Another, another person said, I went to church last night and just broke down in my prayer group. I put Charlie's killing in the same category as jfk. It's a national disgrace that his voice was silenced in this way. I'm sad, disturbed, sick and angry and, and my heart and head is full of tears for his family and for our great loss. And you know, people, people feel this personally because what he was saying is what they were thinking. And he, I'm telling you guys, we know this, he was a real leader.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. So one other thing that, that I was really struck by in reading, you know, all the outpouring of support for Charlie and his family with some of the little vignettes that people were posting. J.D. vance posted one, Benny Johnson posted one where you sort of. They told little stories about the character of Charlie and what he had done for them personally. And what an incredible legacy to leave behind is people who you affected personally. You know, I mean, we could all hope to be able to leave those stories when we're no longer here. You know, anyway, it's a tragedy, but some of this stuff is gonna make you sick to your stomach. Unfortunately. We gotta get through it because I think we just have to know, you just have to know what we're up against in the radical left as it exists today. And to Ashbrook's point, it is not the fringes anymore. We are talking about mainstream Democrats. The first one, we gotta play this clip from Senator Murphy.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Like, we're in a war right now.

[Michael Duncan]

To save this country.

[Jason Chaffetz]

And so you have to be willing to do whatever is necessary in order to save the country.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's a very common theme. And something that we're going to get into is that's we're talking about a Democrat senator. It does not get more mainstream than that. And the repetition of this message and this idea that's become the center of the party, which is, you know, democracy is at risk. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes. Kind of like a doomsday cult. The thinking that like by any means necessary, there are no options off the table because everything is at stake. Our opponents are existential threat to all our lives. I mean, that's the message coming from a senator.

[Michael Duncan]

That is an ideology of violence. Like that's what that is. By any means necessary.

[Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

And I think it goes back to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. And I remember in that moment, that cognitive dissonance that was, that existed on the left. Yeah. Where you had people putting out tweets about, you know, oh, well, you know, we're praying for Donald Trump. And it's like, really? Are you. Because you've called this guy a Nazi for the last, you know, decade.

[Ashbrook]

Well, to that point.

[Michael Duncan]

And you're inspiring people to murder conservatives when you call us fascists. And so then I'm supposed to accept that you now suddenly care about the health and well being of us. I just, it's an insane thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

And you even saw leftists in that moment. I remember during the Trump assassination, leftists were replying to like, you know, when Nancy Pelosi and whatever was like praying that Donald Trump is okay. There is no place for political violence. The leftists were Replying to him, like, wait a minute. Why would we pray for Hitler? You said, this guy's Hitler.

[Ashbrook]

And I mean, guys. To that point, Marcy commented, I remember 1962 and 1968. I don't remember anyone celebrating the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK. Things are very different now.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah. That's the thing that concerns me. And we talked about a little bit on the previous episode. Holmes was kind of lamenting it, and I do worry that we're already there. And I think part of it is just the existence of social media and people feeling empowered in an era of antisocial behavior to say sociopathic things directly into a camera. And it's terrifying. But it wasn't just Senator Murphy.

[Ashbrook]

Let's also.

[Michael Duncan]

Let's play this clip of Pritzker. Political violence, unfortunately, has been ratcheting up in this country. We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota. We've seen other political violence occur in other states. And I would just say it's got to stop. And I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president's rhetoric often foments it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Come on.

[Michael Duncan]

We've seen the January 6th rioters who clearly, you know, have tripped a new era of political violence. I think if you go in front of a camera with a bunch of microphones after a conservative is murdered just because they're debating people on college campuses and you talk about January 6th, you should be in a mental institution.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. In the same breath that he's talking about political violence, he's like, I blame Donald Trump, who the left has tried assassinating multiple times.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's unbelievable.

[Michael Duncan]

So you were telling me this thing. Smug. It escaped me. Thank goodness it had. But you were telling me this thing about champagne bottles that the left is doing now.

[Comfortably Smug]

So for a while now, across social media, there's been this meme among Democrats and leftists of hoping for that thing to happen. They're like, yeah, I have a bottle of champagne on standby waiting for news that that thing has happened.

[Michael Duncan]

Being sort of purposely vague about the.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thing, because by that thing, they mean the death of Donald Trump.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

So we saw a couple weekends ago where they were like, oh, you know, I'm hoping that it happens this weekend. Like, we saw it was being reported in the mainstream media. They were having open discussions. And then you saw across social media how they're like, I have my champagne bottle on standby waiting for that thing to happen. And then you saw Yesterday, a. A lot of those people being like, I had saved this bottle for when that thing happens. But Charlie Kirk's good enough. I guess it's that mainstreamed.

[Michael Duncan]

That's crazy.

[Comfortably Smug]

All in plain sight.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, dude.

[Ashbrook]

And there is no greater contrast to that than Charlie Kirk himself. One of the guys who I know over there is this guy named Andrew. And I mean, for a lot of us, Charlie Kirk is a hero. He's an inspiration. But for the. The guys he walked into work with every single day is a brother. These guys are hurting the same way that people in our audience are hurting, but these guys are hurting. Andrew. His name's Andrew Colvitt. I hope it's okay to use his name, but I think that you should follow him on Twitter. He tweeted a picture of something that Charlie had next to his desk that he looked at every single day of his life. It was a verse from Micah 6, 8 that said, he has told you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you, but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly before your God. Think about the contrast between Charlie Kirk's mindset and what he put in his head every single day and what the people who are trying to demean his legacy are doing right now.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, that's crazy. You know, I read some. Some good tributes from places I wouldn't have expected. I actually saw Ezra Klein put up a piece that was actually really well done. I saw that they honored Charlie at the Yankees game with a moment of silence. But apparently House Democrats would not do the same. They refused a moment of prayer for Charlie on the House floor. Let's play that clip.

[Ashbrook]

What purpose is the gentle lady from Colorado rise?

[Jason Chaffetz]

Let's. Wait a minute.

[Michael Duncan]

Wait a minute.

[Jason Chaffetz]

The House will be in order.

[Ashbrook]

The House will be in order.

[Michael Duncan]

Insane.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's it. That's House Democrats. Those are elected Democrats.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, that's where we are. And that's the House floor. And for those who you. Audio only. Typically, when you see the House, there might be, you know, four or five members and people milling about. There's a couple hundred people on the floor during this. And I don't know who that Democrat was who was screaming her opposition to the thing, but I would love to know.

[Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

I would love to know why we couldn't have a moment of science for a guy who was just murdered for speaking his opinion.

[Ashbrook]

But these Democrats are being cheered on by their allies in the media. There's a headline out of Wired magazine that said right wing activists are targeting People for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk's death. People are worried about, like what it means in our country that all of these TikTok videos and all these people. I know we've got some clips and we're going to talk about this a little bit later, but the inputs that the Democrats are getting, the echo chamber that they've developed is really, really corrosive to a civil society.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, but I mean, it's what they want. Let's just be honest about it. It's what they want. They, they want violence. They believe the ends justify the means and that the murder of their opposition is justified. I think they, they do believe that in their heart of hearts. I think if you, I think if you gave the majority of these people true serum, they'd admit that they might not say it publicly, but that's why they're providing the COVID for that sort of thing is because they actually agree with it. I do believe that.

[Ashbrook]

It's hard to argue with that, man. It's really hard to argue with that.

[Michael Duncan]

Let's play this clip from, from Seth Moulton. This is out fucking rageous.

[Jason Chaffetz]

But let's play, let's be serious about.

[Ashbrook]

Where this violence is coming from.

[Michael Duncan]

Of extremist violent attacks in America, Extremist.

[Ashbrook]

Violence, violent murders, 76% are from right wing extremists. 4% are from left wing extremists. I condemn that 4%. But we also need to be honest about as a nation about where this violence is coming from. And oh, by the way, it's probably an appropriate time to talk about guns too.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, look at that.

[Ashbrook]

A lot of conservatives saying, hey, the.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Only thing we need to do here.

[Ashbrook]

Is get more guns on the street. That's not going to solve this problem. That's going to make it worse.

[Michael Duncan]

First of all, it was a bolt action 30 sex. You know, you're going to take away people's hunting rifles. Is that what you want for gun reform? I mean, these people are so ignorant about the facts and have never used guns in their lives. And so when they comment on stuff like this, they have no frame of reference to even make any sense.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, I think he's, he would like that. They want to have the monopoly on violence. It's very clear. They just want a monopoly on violence. They want a disarmed public that they have openly for years been telling their supporters, we're fighting fascists, we're fighting Nazis. The other side, they're Nazis. And you're a superhero. If you're willing to do whatever it takes. We Just had a clip from a senator saying anything should be on the table.

[Ashbrook]

And not for nothing, fellas, but this guy, Seth Moulton, if I remember correctly, during the Democrats primary for president, he was framed up by the media as the moderate response to some of the left wing forces in their party. If that guy is the moderate, we have even bigger problems on the Dem side of the aisle than we ever even know.

[Comfortably Smug]

But also quickly to weigh in on something that he said. So we, part of this whole problem is we're untangling this web of how we got here. We have to talk about these left wing funded NGOs whose job it is to create these fake little reports for them to cite that. Well, actually, you see 76% of violence is from the right and 4% is left wing violence. It's like this is George Orwell all over again. They're saying, don't believe your lying eyes. Listen, we just saw children being murdered by a left wing lunatic. These children were praying in church. We just saw that happen. How many times have they tried to murder Donald Trump? Every day in the news. Okay, we got a lunatic who has attacked or murdered a conservative. It's almost every day you're hearing this in the news. And they're like, don't, no, no, no, don't believe it, don't believe it. The left isn't responsible for any of the violence. The actual problem here is the right, because they want to keep the pressure on their supporters to make it okay and justify attacking these people. Because look, the right is doing 76% of violence. We're fighting fascists. We can do whatever you want. It's the same message over and over and over again. That's how we get here.

[Ashbrook]

You make such a good point. And I don't think we do not know enough about these guys who tried to assassinate President Trump, the guy who hit him with a bullet, the guy who tried to do it outside of his golf course. And I hope that we learn more about them and what motivated them and who was behind them or what, what, what were the influences? And I think what we're going to find out is that the organized left is a lot more of a problem for our country than anybody in the mainstream press will ever admit.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, and I think that's part of the problem too. I think the liberal media provides cover for all these people and inspires some of these acts. That's the next thing we have to get to here is the media reaction, which was galling, completely galling. We talked about it a Little bit on the previous show. We didn't want to play the clips then, but we're going to play them now. Clip 5 of Matthew Dowd, please. He's been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that's the environment we're in that. That people just. You can't stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take. And that's the unfortunate environment we're in.

[Comfortably Smug]

So I want to go in on this first. So you've all probably heard by now that MSNBC got rid of Dowd, but he is just expressing what the left has internalized their belief. He said, oh, well, hateful words lead to violence. They have so blurring those lines, making words violence. Making words violence is how they create a permission structure to silence their opponents by any means necessary. All Charlie did, all he would do is he would show up with a microphone and a chair and he would talk and he would listen and he would give a microphone to other people and he would. It was a free exchange of ideas. And that was too much for these people. Yeah, that was too much for these people.

[Ashbrook]

It was. It was. They simply cannot handle the fact that he would handle himself in a very, very civil way. I mean, there were three things about him, I think, that were so offensive to the left that they just couldn't stand. One is he was a conservative. Two is he was smart and effective. And three, he was unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a man who was a Christian, and he wore it on his sleeve because that is so important to him, more important than anything else. I mean, we. We saw the video. Everybody's seen the video of what is the one thing you want people to know about you? And he said, if people know anything about me, I want them to know about my faith. And that is so offensive to the left, they can't even see straight. And, you know, I got news for him. Charlie's right.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Ashbrook]

And, you know, it's up to the left whether they want to come to terms with that or not. But Charlie's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

And also, him having that and being so open about his faith and having such conviction on his faith, specifically going to college campuses with that also makes. Listen, folks who've been to college. You know, you feel like if you're a conservative, that, oh boy, I'm 1% and 99% of the people around me are libs. He would provide comfort to conservatives, to Christians on campus, that, no, you don't. You're not alone. You're not alone. The fact of the matter is, I mean, just look at the previous election. We're the majority. The normal people in this country are the majority. And he would go to campuses, to these young people, and he would provide that comfort of let them know I'm here with you. And they killed him for it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. It's true and it's sad. We got to put up this graphic from the New Republic. This is how they covered the assassination of Charlie Kirk, MAGA troll. Charlie Kirk shot during speaking event at a university MAGA troll. The guy was fighting for his life after being shot in the throat by a high powered rifle. And some person at the New Republic thought that was the appropriate time to call him a MAGA troll.

[Comfortably Smug]

So this is very critical also to understanding this. I've spoken about this before in college and I've done research on the radicalization process. And critical to that process is dehumanizing your opponent.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And the way that the left has systematically dehumanized conservatives in this country. Dehumanizing. And when you can say that your opponent is a MAGA troll, when you can say your opponent is a Nazi, when you can say your opponent is a fascist, you can create that permission structure that lets you say, whoa, listen, if they're a Nazi or a troll or. Or a fascist, anything's on the table. Just like earlier. I mean, you've got US Senators, you've got Democrats saying anything's on the table. We're in a war. And who are we fighting? We're fighting trolls, we're fighting Nazis, we're fighting fascists.

[Ashbrook]

To your point, this guy, George Conway, the like never Trump attorney, he tweeted, he compared, literally compared Charlie yesterday to a specific Nazi.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, he compared him afterwards. He compared him to the morning after Charlie had been assassinated. And George Conway starts comparing him to a Nazi and saying that, no, this is a good comparison. He is a Nazi. That's the thing is they have gotten to this point where they are willing to dehumanize conservatives. They're willing to say that these are Nazis because that is critical to getting their extremist violence. They can mainstream it. They can make it okay in everyone's heads.

[Michael Duncan]

We got to play this clip of Katie Tur, which is Crazy and offensive. And this was just minutes after the shooting. Let's play that clip.

[Ashbrook]

People are really upset, and they start lashing out online and they start blaming others for what led up to this. I mean, we see it when Democrats are targeted. We see it when Republicans are targeted. And we're seeing it with this. Anna Paulina Luna, who's a representative from Florida, has put this out on X. She's blaming the Democrats. She's blaming the rhetoric the Democrats use calling Republicans fascist. She's saying, you are the hate. If you're in the FBI field office and you see this sort of stuff.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Bubbling up online, how worried do you.

[Ashbrook]

Get about somebody taking up the cause of Charlie Kirk?

[Michael Duncan]

What an unbelievable.

[Comfortably Smug]

What an unhinged thing to say.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like the Norm MacDonald joke, right? About, like, if there was a 9, 11, what would happen to the peaceful Muslims, right? Like, it's like that Norm joke.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's. I mean, what is wrong with these people that she's like, what would happen if someone were to take up the cause of Charlie Kirk? Boy, can you imagine the horror if someone else decided to visit campuses and try to have an open dialogue? My God, the horror of that. That's what we're saying is that is the mainstream news. That's NBC. That is NBC right there.

[Ashbrook]

Right? And she is not the only one. I mean, President Trump made just an eloquent eulogy of Charlie Kirk and talked about his influence on our country for the good. And the Atlantic's headline coming out of President Trump's eulogy was, Trump's dangerous response to the Kirk assassination. That was their response.

[Comfortably Smug]

That goes back to it. When the left is able to equate words to violence, then they can say that the thing someone is saying is dangerous. They can label Trump said something. What Trump is saying is dangerous. They haven't learned already. They still haven't learned what they've done when they spent years demonizing, dehumanizing President Trump, where they say everything he says is dangerous. Because they know they do have their little wink and nudge, and they're like, oh, it's dangerous. Trump is dangerous. Because they know they can push their base into thinking, well, this guy's a fascist, he's a danger, than anything's on the table.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, it's funny you say that, dude, because I was watching a clip from Jesse Waters, who I think spoke very eloquently about this entire thing, and know what he said. And, you know, he was. He was trying to honor Charlie's legacy in saying this is a. A influence operation, basically, to shut us all up.

[Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

And whether it's saying that the words are violence or if it's shooting Charlie at a campus event, the message is clear. And that is shut up and we'll stop trying to kill you.

[Comfortably Smug]

Basically, he's 100% right.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. And I mean, we're not. In case that wasn't clear, another clip from Dowd. This is probably the craziest thing he said. I'm so glad he got fired. Clip 7 We don't know any full details of this, that we don't know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or. So we have no idea. In celebration. So maybe someone's shooting his gun off in celebration. That's what he said on national television. This guy had a contract with msnbc.

[Ashbrook]

I can't believe it, dude. I just. I fundamentally do not understand the mindset of someone who worked in official political jobs. And it has, you know, a role as a political analyst on tv, and then he comes off unhinged. I mean, I know that we make fun of him in the King of the Hill game, and maybe we should never have him in that again because it's such a despicable, despicable person.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think. So this is important to see because what we're. I hope this horrific, horrific incident is showing us this is mainstreamed, that this is. This is. That was NBC. This is not a. There are fringe elements out here that are the root causes of. This is NBC. And we should see the next one, because the next one comes from cbs.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. So this is cbs. Nate Burlinson, who's usually. He's like their football analyst, you know, who. Apparently, he's now moonlighting with major political news in the mornings for cbs.

[Comfortably Smug]

Does anyone have a take at dehumanizing conservatives?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Which. This was an insane thing. This is him asking Kevin McCarthy about what Republicans need to do with reflecting on this, which is. This is galling, but let's play it. Is this a moment for your party to reflect on political violence? Is it a moment for us to think about the responsibility of our political leaders and their voices and what it does to the masses as they get lost in misinformation or disinformation that turns in and spills into political vice?

[Comfortably Smug]

I say both parties.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, I say parties, I say a nation. Both parties.

[Comfortably Smug]

See, look at them as these ghouls are cheering and attacking conservatives. They're like, don't you think it's time for conservatives to maybe apologize and Take a look in the mirror. After they kill Charlie, they say this. These are ghouls. These aren't people. These are ghouls. They feel nothing. A young man with two babies and a wife just got killed, and they want his supporters to apologize. That's beyond demented.

[Ashbrook]

This is the fundamental problem with the left, and it's the opposite of where this country was in the days after 9 11, when everybody came together after a moment of national tragedy following a terrorist attack. Everybody came together, left, right, and center. Do you remember all of the politicians went out on the Capitol steps and they all sang together. And you just don't see. See the opposite of that happening on the House floor right now.

[Michael Duncan]

Ashbrooke, I'm so glad you mentioned that, because I think you've articulated something. I've been, like, processing in my brain here for the last 24 hours with 911 and all this sort of stuff and just thinking about where the country was on 9 12, 2001 and where we are today and how divided we are. And it is terrifying.

[Ashbrook]

It sure is, buddy.

[Michael Duncan]

It is.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, and we briefly touched on this before we started recording, but I think there should be a lot of reflection in what has happened in the subsequent 24 years since 9 11. You've gone from New York City being told, we will never forget to. They're on the cusp of electing Zoramdani, who said, to globalize the Intifada. You know, how is that? Is that never forget? But that's the march of the left. Yeah, that's the march of the left is they don't take a day off, and they don't believe in an Overton window. They believe you see things their way or there's consequences. And we've seen the mainstream media saying that after Charlie's murdered, they say, what are you conservatives gonna do about this? Don't you feel bad? Look what you've done. Unbelievable.

[Michael Duncan]

Unbelievable. Here's Jen Psaki being Jen Psaki and blaming Trump for all of this. Let's play that clip.

[Comfortably Smug]

There's a lot of rhetoric that is problematic.

[Michael Duncan]

A lot of it is coming from one particular side and from one particular building. But what can be done, I fear, when this is an escalation already in less than 24 hours of this shooting. Yeah. I think historically, presidents have looked for opportunities to bring people together.

[Ashbrook]

You know, right now, we need a.

[Michael Duncan]

President that'll bring the country together and not try to further, you know, divide us.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is the thing. So, first off, when you see that Mark Kelly Being like, it's incumbent upon President Trump to bring the country together. Listen, our side has tried killing you multiple times. Why won't you bring us together?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

That is. I mean, that is. This is so infuriating to me. So infuriating.

[Ashbrook]

Shows me humility that in this moment.

[Comfortably Smug]

They'Re like, well, look, it's. You know, this is. First off, we think it's Trump's rhetoric that causes things like this to happen. And also, why won't Trump bring us together after we've spent the better part of a decade telling everyone that he's a Nazi and a fascist?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Not for nothing, we played what now? 10 clips. We played major Democratic Party officials. We played people who are on broadcast television every single day. Not a single one of them said, hey, just everybody out there. You know, Republicans aren't your enemy.

[Comfortably Smug]

That hasn't been said once.

[Ashbrook]

No, you think about that.

[Michael Duncan]

They're your neighbors. No, but nobody said that. And nobody's asking them to say that. Nobody's demanding they say that.

[Ashbrook]

Well, I think we should. They need to say that now.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Ashbrook]

Otherwise they are going to ruin this country in ways they can't even imagine.

[Michael Duncan]

But the reason why they can't, and this is the most depressing thing about the whole thing. You know, we played all those Democrats, we played everyone in the liberal media. And the reason why they can't, unfortunately, is this is who their voters are. This is who the activists of the radical left are that now decide what their party does here in D.C. in New York and everywhere else. All right, we got to get to these activists. There are these TikTok left wing radicals outside of a DHS facility cheering on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Let's play that clip.

[Ashbrook]

Like, where does that come from? How is that.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's what I think is critical to understanding all of this is it comes from the elected officials. We showed the elected officials saying that, you know, anything's on the table. Our opponents are fascists. It comes from the media who's created this kind of like doomsday cult environment. Like, when you go to the Washington Post, it says, democracy dies in darkness. They want the left to think, okay, this is like the end times. Anything's on the table. And the people who are against you are fascists and Nazis. So it's okay to cheer them, it's okay to dehumanize them. It's okay to do that. This is not some fringe element anymore. Like when I was going through and you were seeing when people were posting photos of horrible things that are being said like on Blue Sky. And then you saw like lives of TikTok and other accounts like, this is who it is. This is who it is. This is where they work. We're not talking about some like lone wolf alone in their basement saying these horrible things. These are like nurses at hospitals. These are like deans at universities. Openly like this. Because that's where the left is now. That's not the left fringe idea of violence against conservatives. It's not a fringe idea on the left. That's the mainstream beating heart of the left.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. You know, we talked about this a little bit before we recorded about whether we even play that clip, you know, because of how disgusting it obviously is.

[Ashbrook]

But.

[Michael Duncan]

But I feel like we kind of have an obligation to show you who these people are at some level.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, you have to recognize this is where we are. Like when we were having the discussion of are we in 1968, that we're there when they are cheering the murder of a man who's got two babies openly clapping and laughing. That's where we are.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. And you mentioned Blue sky, which is an absolute dumpster fire. I'm shocked they're still in business.

[Comfortably Smug]

How Kash Patel is combing that place up.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah. It's just flypaper for lunatics. And I saw that they had to put out a statement saying that glorifying the violence and the death of Charlie Kirk might get your account suspended. They had to put that out preemptively because some of the vile garbage that was up there and the one thing that we all noticed, and we have it here, we're not going to show you the graphic where all the conservatives that people on Blue sky want to see murdered next.

[Comfortably Smug]

Think about that.

[Michael Duncan]

So I'm not going to say these people's names, but they're cheering on the death of Charlie Kirk and they're making recommendations for who they murder next. So that's where we are in America right now.

[Ashbrook]

We have a problem in our society. And whether these are actual Americans who are left wing, blue haired people on a college campus, or whether these are people working for foreign government that are just trying to like inflame all of the divisions that exist in our country, we don't know. But the fact of the matter is there is a problem and the violence from the left is a huge problem. And Michael, I know you've talked a lot about some of the ways that you think the FBI can get to the bottom of it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I think we need an FBI task force on left wing violence in this country that it must be well funded and there has to be people that wake up every single day. Like there were those people at the CIA who were figuring out that bunker, you know, that Iran had with all of their nukes, where their job every single day is to find people like this and put them in prison. Because this is not political speech. This is incitement to murder. And if we don't recognize that and treat it for what it is, I think things in this country are going to get a lot worse. And we can't rely on responsible voices in the mainstream media to, to do anything about it. All the clips that we played, their first comment is, how can Republicans apologize for being murdered? We're gonna have to do things through the FBI and our, you know, whatever, whatever investigative bodies are necessary to find these people and put them in prison.

[Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

I think we have an under incarceration problem in this country. And this isn't just the left wing violence. It's also, you know, I saw the press conference on the North Carolina, the poor woman, the Ukrainian refugee who was murdered on the rail. And the agent in charge from the FBI said something that I thought was really important. And that is in our cities, we have allowed our mass transportation to become a dumping ground for the criminally insane. And that's just not a way we should. It should be unacceptable in the United States of America that working people have to put up with that when they're just trying to feed their families every single day. And we need to reopen the asylums in this country and the criminally insane and to be put away where they can't hurt people. There is no reason why a, a woman who's some judge, magistrate without a law degree tells a paranoid schizophrenic who's been arrested 14 times that, hey, here you give us a promise, you'll come back to court in six months. That's like throwing a loaded handgun in the middle of the street. Like it, it's criminally irresponsible.

[Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

That, that we accept this as a society. I will not stand for it.

[Ashbrook]

Right, right. I don't think anybody should.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, I think we've done everything that we really can in these last two episodes, speaking to the legacy of Charlie Kirk and the insane stuff that the left has done in the aftermath of it. But we also have a very important voice, someone who was there that day. Former representative Jason Chaffetz was kind enough to make some time. He's been incredibly busy on this whole thing. And in some ways, still processing it himself. But we have a short interview with him that we want to play. I want to welcome to the program Representative Jason Chaffetz, who was unfortunately there in attendance in Orem when Charlie was shot. And I was just, you know, I'm really glad you made the time, sir, to come on. And I just, I wonder, now that you've had time to think and process it, you know, the events of that day, you know, what are your thoughts?

[Jason Chaffetz]

You know, it's. I think I'm still, quite frankly, a little bit of shock. It's almost surreal that it happened. And, you know, it's been barely 24 hours, and it was horrific. It was one of the most horrific things in my life. And, you know, it's interesting because I think about 911 and the thousands of people who lost their lives on 9 11. I think about the men and women we send off to war who see and live through all this stuff. It's all kind of processing simultaneously. But I've never personally been in a situation with a friend, somebody I know, somebody that I had just been texting with saying, hey, I hope to get, you know, you're gonna be in Utah. You know, it's my former congressional district, Utah Valley University. And. And I just thought, you know, hey, can we get together? And, you know, and he's like, yeah, come on by. We'll get together. And. And then to be there when that shot rang out and to see him take that bullet and fall back, I. I wish I could unsee it. And, and that ringing, that, that, that shot, it just, you know, I had a really hard time processing that. And I. I think I will. I still do. It's still, like, unbelievable to me. You know, I had family there, daughter, son in law. My wife was on her way in and, you know, and he lost his life. And I've never seen an assassination like that in person, and I hope to never see one again.

[Ashbrook]

Yeah, Jason, it is just. It's just such a heartbreaking situation, you know, for our country, our listeners. It's just. It's a lot of regular people listening to our show. It's regular guys talking on our show. And, you know, we looked at Charlie like a hero, like an inspiration, but. But to you, he was a buddy, he was a brother. And I just. I can't imagine what it's like to not only have this moment of national and global import, but it's also a moment that affects you personally and so many people personally. And it's just. It's it's heartbreaking.

[Jason Chaffetz]

You know, the group there, it was, you know, it's exciting to see. Look, I've been in politics now for a little while. You know, I was chief of staff to the governor for a while. I was of Utah. I was in Congress for eight plus years. And you know, they've been on Fox News for a number of years. So, you know, you get to meet, see and talk to the most interesting people. But that group of friends and relatives that are younger than the age of 30, I've never seen them so inspired and so excited. Like there's two people universally they wanted to meet. One is President Donald Trump. And the second one was Charlie Kirk. And he was to get, who else could get 2 or 3,000 people other than the president, you know, or maybe the Vice president. But who else could get college students on the middle of a Wednesday when they just started school to go out on the quad and talk about issues by the thousands? And Charlie is that guy. It's just, he was so inspirational and hey, let's have the debate. You know. And the message of Charlie Kirk was also, if we can't debate, if we can't talk about our differences, then we're going to have to resort to violence. And unfortunately, yeah, you know, we have somebody who took his life. And I don't, I think the country, I think it's going to change our country for a long, long time.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, I think what you were just describing speaks so much to his legacy as, as, as we remember him. And what he did of he galvanized the youth in this country in a way conservatives never had been able to before. Never, not once, not close. Where you look at polling today and you look at exit polling from the recent election where Gen Z is conservative, we have for the first time probably in the history of our country, a conservative youth. The Conserve youth movement that he put together has had such a massive impact mass and a massive positive impact that he has had in the work. He was only 31 years old and he changed the world with what he did of just talking. He wants people to be able to talk.

[Jason Chaffetz]

I remember well, I was honored last night. President Trump called me and we had a good discussion. You know, it's late at night. The president has so much on his plate and we talked about that. We talked about what an incredible legacy and how important Charlie was to galvanizing the next generation of conservatives. And you know, I've seen it, my own family and friends, where 22 year olds were suddenly, you know, watching Videos and going out to events. And the President wholeheartedly recognized what a pivotal role he played in helping to get Donald Trump elected. But more importantly, just being a role model and saying it's okay to talk about these things out loud. You know, colleges are supposed to be places where our youth learn to think. And Charlie never assumed that everybody was going to come to the same conclusion or think just like him. But he challenged people to learn how to think, something that's not found in the classrooms. Right. And he did that. And I hope that legacy continues. But he was one of a kind. Absolutely.

[Michael Duncan]

So you mentioned President Trump and I'm just sort of curious as a former member of the House and I'm sure you've had a lot of outreach from current members. Where is sort of their headspace on all of this with the aftermath of this assassination attempt and what are we going to do to solve this?

[Jason Chaffetz]

Well, unfortunately, this isn't the only one. I mean, we had two assassination attempts on the President of the United States. We've had this, we've had the vitriol online, we had that horrific thing happen on a subway. We've had, you know, so called comedians posting online with a severed Donald head, you know, Donald Trump head cut off. And you know what, I think we need to hit it head on. I think we need to literally call it out for what it is because, and I know that the emotions raw and the motions fresh, and I'm still in a bit of shock, but these things tend to go one direction. They don't go both directions. And you know, we're gonna have to call it out and not be bashful and, and hold people accountable. I mean, the videos and the things that are out there right now, I look at the posts that were put up to me saying, you know, people online telling me that it was my fault and there's going to be further consequences and that the second Amendment that I support is, is not going to just go softly into the night. And you know, for those of us that are in the public eye and have been in public office, you know, we used to do town hall meetings, we used to do parades. We used to, I mean, that was, the idea, is that people in public office could be as close to the, to the voters as possible and have that interaction and that's all but evaporating now. It's like, when or how are you going to get a group together to have that vibrant dialogue? It's just, I don't think anybody is interested in doing that at this point.

[Ashbrook]

Yeah. Jason, you know, Charlie was such a great leader with such a great vision for this country, and you are a leader and you've been in multiple leadership positions. And we were talking earlier about some of the comments coming into our show by the hundreds. People are sad, they're angry, they're confused, they don't know. They don't really know what's next. I know it's. It's been such a short period of time, but I wonder if you have any thoughts on where we go from here, how we continue the good work that Charlie laid down with, you know, through a lifetime of achievement.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Well, I think we can listen to his words and certainly prayers for his family. While I had been texting with Charlie about getting together, I didn't realize that it's been. Wife and daughters were also here in Utah. And, you know, you got Air Force Two and the Vice President coming. And I think over the next few days, the mourning and the sadness of that young family, the beautiful wife and just darling little kids, got to remember them first and foremost. But I think that's also going to quickly morph into, okay, so what do we do and how are we going to do it? And we can't morph into the violence that the left continues to. I want to be careful because it's not everybody. Okay. It's not 100% of them, but I think the violence and the over the top rhetoric has to come to a screeching halt. And that can't just be through. Okay, we all say that, but, you know, when they mock prayers, when they mock and try to threaten people from silencing them in the, in the town square, we have to figure that out. We have to. We have to change that. So I don't know exactly where that's going to go or what it's going to do, but we have to. You know, Charlie was a unique voice, but it goes back to, I think, what Margaret Thatcher said, which I just. She's one of my all time favorites. She said, first you have to win the argument, then you go win the vote.

[Ashbrook]

Mm.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Let's take that argument to the American people, those conservative values that I believe in, and have that dialogue and make the case we can do that in Mass. That's the message of Charlie Kirk.

[Michael Duncan]

Amen, sir. Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it. I wish it was under better circumstances, you know, and we could have some fun. But, you know, I know how busy you.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Another time, another time.

[Michael Duncan]

I know how busy you are right now. So just we from all of us. We really appreciate it, sir.

[Jason Chaffetz]

Thank you.

[Michael Duncan]

Thank you.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thanks so much.

[Ashbrook]

We're very, very fortunate to have Jason join us. I mean, he was. He was there. Not only is he very good friends with Charlie's family and everybody around him, and his story is. It's a very emotional story, and I don't think anybody could imagine what he has gone through over the last 24 hours. Very fortunate to hear from him. And I think he had some really important words to share with the audience today.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, just imagine how heartbreaking that must be for a guy from Utah, you know, to see that in a community that you used to represent in Congress.

[Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, just absolutely heartbreaking. A friend of Charlie's and, you know, not only do you have to witness that, but knowing that Charlie's family was there and had to witness it too, is a thing that you just don't get over overnight.

[Ashbrook]

Yep, that's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it's, you know, I'm really happy we're fortunate to be able to get him because it's important. The mainstream media is not doing anything to humanize who Charlie was as a person and what his family and his friends lost and what this country lost, what conservatives lost. And I'm so happy that he was able to talk to us, because that's an important part of this, is the level and the extent to which conservatives have been dehumanized.

[Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And thinking about how, going forward, what is it that we can do? What is it that needs to be done? You're talking about how, like, it's gotten to the point where working people can't get on the subway without being scared of being killed. Because the way that the left has sunk their claws into institutions beyond just the media or how they've radicalized their activists, but the rot is so deep, I don't know what steps we need to take to go forward. It's going to take. We said earlier, we're hoping. Kash Patel, you can go through blue sky, but it's gonna take a lot of work when you've got. The criminal justice system in this country has turned into a permission structure to allow left wing radicals to just run amok.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah. It's sad. Ashbrook, what are your thoughts on this? What do we do to fix this?

[Ashbrook]

You know what, buddy? I think that. I think your idea is a really good one. I mean, I think that if the FBI were to redouble their efforts into the radical fringe on the left, that would probably do some good here. And I think they need to know who is saying this and where it's coming from and who is funding these efforts. We need to know more about, obviously this guy who assassinated Charlie Kirk. We need to know more about the guy, the guys who attempted assassination on Donald Trump. We need to know more about. These are not the only. These are not isolated incidents. There were firebombings on Republican offices. There have been terrorist attacks on, you know, crisis pregnancy centers in this country. There is an organized effort on the left to intimidate the right. And I think that the FBI getting to the bottom of it is one thing and I think one other thing that we absolutely have to do as conservatives is live by the words that Charlie left behind. We cannot be afraid to say what it is that we think. We cannot be afraid to stop showing people that it's normal to be a conservative. This is a point of view that 77 million people in this country have. And they selected Donald Trump to be the president because they wanted to put a stop to it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I'm glad you said that. And you know, we said as much on Will Kaine's show yesterday. I think it's important. You know, Charlie had talked a lot about the stats of, you know, left wing violence in this country and he still did what he did every day. You know, he still went to the lion's den, he still went into these college campuses where he know, to your point earlier, smug that like, you know, you might be the 1% in 99 of these kids might be liberal, but, but showing up there and doing it, knowing the stakes of all of this and being a high profile guy is a brave thing. That is a brave thing to do in the, in this country in 2025. Unfortunately, we shouldn't have to be that way, but it is because to your point, smug, they have committed to this idea of a permission structure where words are violence and if you use the wrong words, we're allowed to murder you.

[Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

And that is a sad, sad state of affairs in the United States in 2025. Thanks again to everybody, you know, who listened and watched these last two episodes. They weren't exactly easy to do, but. But I'm glad we were able to do them with you. Thank you again to everybody who reached out, sent DMS texts, comments and everything. We're fine, we're still here and we're not going to stop and we're definitely not going to be cowed into censoring ourselves and not talking because of some left wing lunatics, so don't worry about that. Hopefully next week we can get back to something that is a little more fun, you know. But I think for the next few days, gonna take a little break from social media and try to recenter some stuff on, you know, family and friends like I'm sure Charlie wishes he was able to do, you know. And with that, I think. I think we did it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think so. Wonderful episode, gentlemen. Thank you so much to the Minions. I know now's not the time. Do not black pill. I know things feel bad, but we're going to keep going forward. Thank you all for listening. Thank you so much to Jason Chaffetz. We'll see you Tuesday.